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In
August 1997 Grameen Communications (GC) came into existence
as a not for profit organization under the Companies Act of
Bangladesh 1994. Its vision is to serve the underprivileged
population by means of information and communications technology
(ICT) in two ways:
- Assist
and facilitate those who work for poverty alleviation. For
example, GC supplies MIS software to MFIs to provide them
with timely information in a cost effective, secure and
user-friendly way.
- Provide
information technology (ICT) services directly to the rural
disadvantaged. In bridging the digital divide and making
information available to everyone, GC aims to produce positive
economic benefits for people living in rural Bangladesh
and hopefully beyond.
The
increased focus on institutional efficiency and staff productivity
in recent years has led MFIs to seek computerized and automated
software solutions to their management information system
(MIS) needs. CASHPOR members have followed a number of options
in this regard, including off the shelf products and tailored
solutions, with varying degrees of success. Two CASHPOR
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The Micro-Banking Systems:
Specialized IT Applications for MFIs
The need for an integrated and
automated management information system (MIS)
software for micro-finance institutions (MFIs)
was felt since the inception of Grameen Bank.
At the operational level, there was demand for
a system that could take over the numerous and
detailed work of portfolio tracking, system
monitoring, accounting, reporting and other
aspects of an MFI's MIS. GC's first task was
to design and develop such a system to support
Grameen Bank's operations and to create the
information technology infrastructure for the
Bank. Today, of the 1178 branches of Grameen
Bank, 936 or 80% of branches are automated.
Moreover, 500 of them are paperless.
GC has since customized the system
for use by Ahon Sa Hirap (ASHI), Inc. in the
Philippines and CFTS is India. It is now about
to embark on the computerization of Moris Rasik
in Timor Leste.
In addition to providing MIS to
MFIs, GC has also developed systems to support
other Grameen Bank activities. These include
systems to track staff loans and housing loans
for Grameen Uddog, a loan management program
for Grameen Trust, as well as a pond database
management system for Grameen Motsho (Fisheries)
Foundation.
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members--
CFTS in India and ASHI in the Philippines - have benefited
greatly from work done by Grameen Communications (GC) of Bangladesh.
The
ICT Project
The
aim of the ICT project is to deliver information technology
services to rural communities, which in the past were not
available to them. So far three Digital Centers have been
set up in Bangladesh
Village
Computer and Internet Program (VCIP), Modhupur
The
goal of the Village Computer and Internet Program (VCIP) is
to provide multipurpose information services for isolated
regions to promote poverty alleviation, thereby reducing migration
from villages to cities, creating IT related job opportunities
for the rural poor, and creating familiarity with computers
among the rural population of Bangladesh.
Grameen
Digital Center(GDC) Mirzapur
The
local population of Mirzapur now enjoys 24 hours online facility
offered by VCIP, Mirzapur, at a minimum cost. The project
is connected to the web through GC's own VSAT located at the
head office. The site office is about 45 km away and is linked
by radio connection to the web via the VSAT gateway.
Grameen
Digital Center (GDC) Tele Healthcare, Chittagong
A
Tele Healthcare center is already in operation at Chittagong,
offering health services with a minimum service charge. The
health services include: i) providing information on diseases,
treatment & associated cost: ii) online doctor's consultancy:
and iii) local, national and international medical information.
The services
to be derived from the ICT project include:
Information
Services
Email Facilities
Health Services
Training Course on Computer
Word Processing and Printing
Village Database
Computer Lab Facilities
Children Education
Seminar and Workshop
It may
still be early days, but wide ranging impact on socio-economic
development can be expected. For example, readily available
information makes rural populations more aware of market trends
and therefore enables them to respond with greater flexibility
and be more competitive. The social fabric of communities
is strengthened through greater accessibility to communications.
Training and increased job opportunities leads to reduction
of migration to cities and social problems, particularly among
the young.
GC's
Resources & Infrastructure
The company
possesses highly qualified professionals in related disciplines
including Project Management, IT Consulting, System Analysis
and Design, Programming, Internet Service Provision, and Training.
The competent and experienced team of programmers is equipped
to handle any customization requirements, or further development
to suit individual requirements.
The software
team possesses knowledge and proven hands-on experience with
the following tools:
Language:
Visual Basic 6.0 C/C ++ ASP, HTML Java Script, Perl, PHP,
Assembly Language.
RDBMS: SQL server, Oracle 8i, Access 7.0 My SQL.
Networking:
Windows NT: Microsoft Windows 2000 advanced server, Windows
98/9, DOS.
Grameen Communications believes access to information flow
on real time basis is one of the most important elements to
become customer oriented. Connected to the Internet through
its own VSAT 24 hours a day, with an available bandwidth of
64kbps, GC wants to be by its customer's side whenever they
are in need.
For further information please contact:
Grameen
Communications
Grameen Bank Bhaban (9th Floor)
Mirpur-2, Dhaka-1216, Bangladesh
Tel: 880-2-9905257-69
Fax: 880-2-9005350
Email:gc@grameen.com
Web-site: www.grameen.com/gc
Report
by Nazneen Sultana
Grameen Communications
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